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February Update from the Waldo!
The Waldo Theatre Board of Directors has been busy finalizing the Raise the Roof portion of our three-phase Capital Campaign plan to reopen the Waldo. When the weather warms you will see roofers at work!
Our next phase will focus on renovations of the building’s interior–including insulation installation, plaster repair, seating refurbishment, restroom repairs, and the hiring of an executive director. We are committed to supporting the arts–performing, visual and literary, and using the Waldo as a cultural center, educational facility, lecture and seminar space, and a top-talent venue for the enrichment and entertainment of our youth and expanded community. By investing in this project, you will help make the Waldo a place where people of all ages can come together to find their voice, tell their stories, and celebrate the arts.
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Anonymous Donor will Match Your Gift
May 1st Deadline!
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Your gift to The Waldo Campaign will be matched up to a total of $20,000, but only until May 1st, 2019.
We’re already more than halfway to our $20,000 goal and we need you take us the rest of the way. Currently, matching donations total $12,000. At this time, we can match up to $8,000 more, but the deadline is May 1, 2019. If we meet this challenge by May 1st, we will have a total of $40,000 to put towards staffing. Our plan is to hire an executive director this summer who will help us expand organizational capacity, build community support, help coordinate our capital campaign, and phase in programming.
To make an online tax-deductible donation towards the $20,000 Challenge Grant visit www.waldotheatre.org. Donations by check may be made payable and sent to: Waldo Theatre, Inc. “Challenge Grant” P.O. Box 587 Waldoboro, Maine 04572
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Adding Luster to Waldoboro:
Local Businesses Support the Waldo
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We are encouraged to see the outpouring of support from local businesses and organizations who have sponsored the Waldo this year. We’ve heard from so many about what the Waldo has meant to families in the past, and what a revitalized theatre could mean for the future of our town and the surrounding area. Here is what local businesses are saying:
Scott Lash of Lash Realty Group supports the Waldo because “...I believe in preserving the rich history of Waldoboro and want to help keep our heritage thriving!” In a similar vein, George Seaver of the Waldoboro Business Park views the theatre as a “unique and irreplaceable link” both to the past and to what lies ahead for the economic development of our area. Laura Cabot noted that “during the years my restaurant and the Theatre were both operational, each made the other a richer experience.” Charlotte Davenhill of Tidemark Gallery and Café, whose mission is “to serve the artists in our community,” sees clear opportunities for creative enrichment that allow us to “see the artist in each and every person” and Jeff Payson considers live theatre as a “life long activity where multi-generational talent can be shared.” Clayton Pennington of The Maine Antique Digest describes the theatre as “a jewel…and one that will add luster to Waldoboro…”
The Waldoboro Business Association, which includes 86 members of the local small business community, “looks forward to the time when The Waldo Theatre is once again the center of our cultural, social and commercial endeavors” with “shows and events bringing lots of people into town to appreciate all that Waldoboro has to offer. The Waldo afforded a cultural focus to Waldoboro's downtown village, and the WBA believes in and encourages the re-creation and transformation of that focus with a 21st Century twang. When it once again opens its doors to all mid-coast communities, the Waldo Theatre will restore vibrancy to Waldoboro village and reclaim its important role as a collaborative partner with schools, businesses, and nonprofits.”
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The Waldo Board Welcomes Christa Thorpe
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Christa is a resident of Bremen, Maine where she serves on the AOS 93 School Board and the Bremen Conservation Commission. She has worked for the past decade as an educator since completing her BA in Anthropolgy and MA in Teaching from Wheaton College. Christa returned home to midcoast Maine in 2013 and worked at her alma mater Lincoln Academy, teaching English and ESL. She is married to Bennett Collins, founder of Harvest Moon, a Waldoboro based farm-to-table catering business. Working in Waldoboro has allowed Christa to reconnect with the Waldo, where she enjoyed performing and watching 3D thrillers as a child. She plays flute in the Seacoast Community Orchestra and enjoys outdoor adventures, especially those involving woods and salt water. We’re excited to have her on board!
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Bridget Alexander and Gwen Moiles Join the Waldo Theatre Campaign Team
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Bridget Alexander joined the Waldo’s Campaign team in late December as consultant. Originally based in the Washington, D.C. area, she brings nearly 15 years of non-profit sector experience in fundraising and communications. She has held development director positions, served as executive director for the Southeastern Massachusetts Agriculture Partnership and has consulted with several arts organizations that were simultaneously operating out of historic buildings and conducting capital campaigns to preserve them. Bridget holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from VA Tech and also received a Juris Doctorate from Roger Williams Law School and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.
Bridget enjoys being part of Lincoln County Community Theater and her two children are “almost always” working on a play with Y Arts. “I’m excited to apply my experience to the Waldo’s Campaign. Access to the arts can change a person’s life, not to mention a community. I’m honored to be part of this important project,” Bridget shared. The whole family is looking forward to experiencing all the Waldo will soon have to offer.”
Assisting Bridget and the Waldo Board is Gwen Moiles. Gwen graduated with a B.A in Environmental Studies and German from Goucher College in Baltimore in 2015. She returned to Maine after graduation and tutored youth in creative writing at The Telling Room, was the assistant art director for Tess Garritsen's feature-length horror movie about invisible sea monsters, and cooked and gardened on Hurricane Island in Penobscot Bay. She then spent a year in Nashville, Tennessee, as the Communications and Community Outreach Coordinator at Urban Green Lab, an environmental education nonprofit. Last year, she studied, lived, and worked in Germany as a State Department Fellow in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals program. Gwen participated in Waldo Theatre productions and programs throughout her childhood. She always loved constructing sets and working behind the scenes, and is thrilled to play a similar "behind-the-scenes" role again as Membership & Data Manager and Communications Assistant for the Waldo.
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Mark your calendars for a must-see musical event to benefit the Waldo Theatre!
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On May 27th the Boston-bred Adam Ezra Group will be bringing their “roots-steeped, road-trippin'” folk tunes to the Lincoln Theatre stage. The Adam Ezra Group is driven by a belief that the arts and activism are one in the same and “... making music together is itself a form of grassroots organizing, capable of nothing less than changing the world." The group has brought their "powerful, relentlessly entertaining" act across the country and collaborated and toured with rock n' roll and Americana legends like John Oates, Graham Parker, and Livingston Taylor.
The Oshima Brothers, Maine’s very own harmony-rich contemporary folk and acoustic pop duo, will open the night at 4pm!
All proceeds from the concert will go towards the Waldo Theatre's Capital Campaign to open the historic Waldo Theatre’s front doors and help enrich the Waldoboro community and surrounding area. Tickets are $30 and are available at Milling Around (67 Main Street in Newcastle), Skidompha Library, Waldoboro Public Library or on the phone with Bobby Whear at 207-441-2313. There will be a cash bar with beer and wine.
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A Free Children's Theater Workshop
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The Waldo is hosting a free children’s theatre workshop for students, grades 2-5, in partnership with The River Company and Skidompha Library on April 15-17. Participants will learn acting basics and theatre games that focus on building confidence and having fun! All are welcome and no acting experience is necessary, but registration is required. Registration forms are available at the Skidompha Library. Call 207-522-2797 or email mallorysmithadams@gmail.com for more information.
The River Company has fostered artistic growth through dynamic, creative, and versatile theatrical productions since 1999. The Skidompha Public Library is open 6 days a week and has programming for the whole family. Check out their events calendar to learn about other upcoming talks, workshops, and activities.
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Invest in the Waldo!
Please donate to the Capital Campaign today!
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